The Catholic Conference of Illinois is proud to announce that Gov. J.B. Pritzker today signed into law Senate Bill 1792, creating the Predatory Loan Prevention Act, which caps the annual percentage rate (APR) on payday and auto title loans at 36%. Illinois becomes the 18th state to cap APRs at 36%, along with the District of Columbia.
Bill Woolf, a human trafficking expert who has done trainings for USCCB, talks about the link between parental notice of abortion and raising a red flag about trafficking victims. Next, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka of Aguduth-Israel discusses the importance of the Tax Credit Scholarship program to Jewish schools as the scholarship program for nonpublic schools faces a cut proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Then, Tony Cube of USCCB’s Justice for Immigrants initiative talks about the actions President Joe Biden has taken in favor of immigrants since assuming office in late January, and what’s ahead on the political horizon, including the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. Finally, Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, talks about sponsoring Senate Bill 133, the Ultrasound Opportunity Act.
Our Illinois bishops today issued a letter to Catholics across the state, urging them to contact their state lawmakers and tell them to reject a current effort to repeal Illinois' parental notice of abortion law.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker today unveiled his budget plan for the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1, proposing a cut to the Tax Credit Scholarship program that allows low-income and working-class students to receive scholarships to Catholic and other nonpublic schools. The Catholic Conference today issued a statement in response to Pritzker's proposal.
It's back.
An attempt to repeal the state's parental notice of abortion law will be made during the spring session of the Illinois Legislature. State Rep. Ana Moeller, D-Elgin, today filed House Bill 1797, which calls for lawmakers to dismantle current law requiring an adult family member to be notified when a minor girl seeks an abortion. Similar legislation was filed during the spring 2019 legislative session, when that bill passed a Senate committee but was not called for a vote on the Senate floor.
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, talks about the potential for ending the federal death penalty under President Joe Biden. Next, Anthony Holter, president of Empower Illinois, discusses the organization’s recently released annual report on the Tax Credit Scholarship program. Then, Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Teutopolis, talks about House Bill 697, which calls for a 50% income tax credit on contributions to pregnancy resource centers. Finally, Geno Fernandez, president of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s school board, talks about the Archdiocese’s $1.4 million Gratitude Fund, which distributed bonuses to school employees as a thank-you for their efforts toward in-person learning during the pandemic.
